PATH Program – Projects for Assistance in Transition

October 27, 2014
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by
Martha Maltais

PATH services are for people with serious mental illness, including those with co-occurring substance use disorders, who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. The program is administered by the Center for Mental Health Services, a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), one of eight Public Health Service agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.The PATH Program – Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness – was authorized by the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1990.

PATH is a formula grant to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. There are over 480 local organizations that provide PATH services. The National PATH Technical Assistance Center assists SAMHSA in providing support to the state and local providers.

PATH providers work with service delivery systems and embrace practices that work by:

partnering with housing first and permanent supporting housing programs.

providing flexible consumer-directed and recovery-oriented services to meet consumers where they are in their recovery.

States and Territories also use PATH funds to train local provider staff on effective strategies to assist persons who are homeless with severe mental illness.

PATH services are for people with serious mental illness, including those with co-occurring substance use disorders, who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. PATH services include community-based outreach, mental health, substance abuse, case management and other support services, as well as a limited set of housing services.

Virtually all states use PATH funds to provide outreach services to contact and engage people who are disconnected from mainstream resources. FY 2007 data reveal: